How UK retailers are trying to attract shoppers

John Lewis, meanwhile, has opened its “biggest as well as most interactive” Christmas market to date. Customers are able to “see, smell, taste as well as touch an unrivaled collection of Christmas ideas,” the store said in a statement.

“We want our department stores to be a source of inspiration, a leisure destination as well as somewhere our customers will look forward to visiting, somewhere they can while the day away, with access to services as well as experiences under one roof of which aren’t available anywhere else,” Peter Cross, director of customer experience at John Lewis told CNBC.

Shoppers at the department store will also be able to create their own cocktail, thanks to a partnership with edible cocktail specialists Smith as well as Sinclair.

The in-store offer is actually wide. Fourth-quarter sales numbers inside brand new year will reveal if all the effort will pay off. However, according to Global Data, many retailers might still disappoint.

“After a poor third quarter, clothing as well as footwear retailers will be hoping for some respite in fourth quarter … However, Christmas will disappoint many inside sector with another quarter of declining volumes forecast, down 0.6 percent on quarter fourth of 2016,” the research firm said.